By DADA AYOKHAI
The University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) chapter of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) is 45 years old
To celebrate the milestone, the UBTH chapter members converged at the UBTH ARD Secretariat in Benin where they addressed the press on burning issues and the unveiling of the association’s new logo
The UBTH ARD chapter President, Dr. David Orhiwere, in his address, urged the federal government to expedite steps on the association’s one-to-one demand and to also release the circular on its implementation
The federal government and the national body of the ARD had reached an agreement on the one-to-one policy as a way of taming the crushing effect of brain drain by clinical workers in the health sector
Dr. Orhiwere also extolled the valuable contributions made in the advancement of the medical profession in the state by both the former and present leadership of the UBTH ARD chapter.
He also highlighted some of the major feats recorded by the UBTH ARD chapter, noting its members have held top leadership positions in the Nigeria Medical Association at both the state and the national level, including the Commonwealth Medical Association (CMA) and the World Medical Association (WMA) respectively
“I must celestially appreciate the 43rd President of NARD Dr. Orji innocent Emeka and the NOC for continuous guidance as we advance the progress of the Healthcare sector in Nigeria with particular reference on Residency Training. “
He said the ARD UBTH demands the immediate release of the circular on the One-for-One policy for the replacement of exited clinical workers for implementation, noting it
cannot continue to watch it members lose their lives and break down under the weight of work overload occasioned by massive depletion of clinical staff
in hospitals on account of brain drain.
Orhewere who appealed to government to ensure the payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) to its members said some members were paid, while others are still to get their payments.
“The 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) has been paid recently, but we still have alot of persons pending, and we want to appeal to government using this medium to make good it promises to pay for the remaining of our Residents that are due for this payment for the year 2023. So that we would continue to have a conducive and peaceful atmosphere for our training. This is aside other remuneration demands, we hope government will also attend to.”
He said the Association in her commitment to curb brain drain on one hand, is also faced with the issue of remuneration on the other hand, calling on relevant stakeholders to address the issue of remuneration to curb the effect of brain drain in the healthcare system.
“Brain drain has been a challenge to us as an Association. It has been with us from time immemorial, but it has been accelerated recently by the fact that there has been poor remuneration and also going by the fact that the economic condition in the country has been steadily declining. “Orhewere said.
